Household employers are asked to cooperate in the recently enacted Republic Act No. 10361 also called the Domestic Workers Act or Batas Kasambahay.
Senator Loren Legarda, a co-author and co-sponsor of the law said that the success of the law would largely depend on the cooperation of household employers.
They have a great responsibility in ensuring that all the requirements provided by the measure are compiled with for the benefit of domestic workers.
“The enactment into law of the Batas Kasambahay is a major step in according decent working conditions, fair compensation, and sufficient benefits to our domestic workers, but the greater challenge is ensuring that employers will abide the law,” Legarda added.
The law covers only workers who are performing domestic work such as househelp, nursemaids, nannies, cooks, garderners, and laundry persons. The part-time employees are not included in the coverage of the measure.
One of the provisions of the law is the need for employers to register their “kasambahay” with their respective barangays.
It also requires the signing of a contract between the employers and the employees in a language understood by both, which should contain details about the domestic workers’ duties and responsibilities, period of employment, hours of work, compensation and authorized deductions.
The minimum monthly salary for domestic workers is pegged at P2,500 for the National Capital Region, P2,000 for chartered cities and first-class municipalities, while P1,500 for the rest of the domestic workers in the other parts of the country.
Aside from the basic salary, they are also entitled to a 13th month pay, membership in the Social Security System (SSS), PhilHealth and Pag-ibig Fund, plus a five-day paid leaves.
Legarda also explained that this is a major step in treating “kasambahays” as workers and not servants. It also promotes equality in the country as the government also deals with the concerns of the marginalized sectors.
